Fewer than one in 10 individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it releases its initial recommendations on the medications.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is advocating for increased and just availability to this class of drugs.
According to estimates, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to universal availability to the treatments that can help people shift considerable body mass, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Despite the present best projected outlook, the production of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to widen availability, via measures such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
The injections mimick a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase feelings of fullness so users reduce food intake.
Individuals commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Studies suggests patients may see weight return within a year of halting the drug, because their normal appetite return.
To be above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for contracting diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in every country and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
